Kulayev, 25, was the only survivor from a group of 32 Chechen separatists who held more than 1,000 children, parents and teachers hostage in the North Ossetia school for three days.

He narrowly avoided being lynched by local people after being discovered hiding underneath a lorry not far from the school after the siege ended in a bloody battle between hostage-takers and Russian troops.

'Fairy tale'

Black-clad mothers of victims had crowded the courtroom for the verdict, carrying banners which read: "There is no forgiveness of the authorities who let Beslan happen."

CHARGES

Banditry

Terrorism

Murder

Attempted murder of members of the security forces

Hostage-taking

Illegal storage, possession and acquisition of weapons, ammunition and explosives

As Kulayev was led away, some of them tried to attack him while others wailed and banged on the glass and metal cage.

Reactions to the verdict were mixed.

Emiliya Bzarova, who lost a son in the siege, told Russian radio it gave her hope that Kulayev would at some point "tell the truth" and help to convict others.

Another victim's mother, Aneta Gadiyeva, who said she spoke for a majority of the families, said: "The ultimate sentence should have been passed... We believe that this was a particularly evil act and it should have been punished accordingly."

Kulayev admitted participating in the siege, but said he did not kill anyone and dismissed the charges against him as a "fairy tale".

Judge Tamerlan Aguzarov said Kulayev's actions had in part led to the killing of 16 hostages by the attackers and he had detonated a bomb at School Number One that had injured hostages and government troops.

Questions remain

He was also found guilty of shooting children and other hostages who tried to escape the school on the third day of the crisis, the Associated Press reports.